Carrier distributing and selecting apparatus



May 10,1927. 1,628,607 J. G. MACLAREN CAR IER DISTRIBUTING AND SELECTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 21. 1925 Patented May 10, 1927.

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES G. MacLMmmor SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, Assninon r THE LAMSON cor/L may, or srzaacosn, New YORK, a ooRronATIon or MASSACHUSETTS.

CARRIER DISTRIBUTING AND snnnc'rme Armenians.

Application flled lebruary 21, 1925. Serial No. 10,831.

This inventionrelates to carrier despatch apparatus and more particularly to means for sorting and; distributing carriersot ditferent classes and delivering the assorted carriers to different points. While the invention is illustrated as applied to a pneumatic despatch system, it not necessarily restrictedto such use but in many of its features is applicable to conveyor systems of other types. The present application is a i upper gtiideway of the apparatus, substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section showing details of a distributing terminal forming part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. Gis a section substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the numerals 1 and 5 desi nate the delivery ends of carrier transmission devices, for example, pneumatic tubes, by emes-r which carriers are discharged into conveyor guideway pref erably having a moving belt as its floor. As indicated the tubes or other delivery devices designated by the numerals 4 and 55 may be divided into qroups corresponding, for eitample a) siini ar groups of remote sending stations,such groups of deli very terminals being adapted to deliver carriers into diiiorent parts of the conveyor guideway. While for descriptivepurposes I have shown a belt conveyor as receiving carriers from the terminals 4 and 5, will be obvious that 50 a guideway or chute having; a non-moving floor may be substituted torsuch belt. It will also be ululeistood that the movin belt or belts, it such be employed, will be sup ported and driven in. uccuri aura with any of the usual methods in such amuiratus.

The belt herein illustrated is flexible and caused to assume an inwardly convex form by means oi? a board 7 (Fig. 3) over which it moves. The upper run ti of this belt is assumed to be moving; in the direction indicated by the arrow 8 (Fig. 1), its lower or return run 6 moving in the oppo site direction. While theupper and lower runs 6 and (i preferably form parts of a single continuous conveyor belt, they may if des red constitute separate and independent belts. The upper conveyor is dividedinto two tracks or Ways by means of a partition 9 extending longitudinally of the belt 6, preterably midway between its edges, and which is su ported by the cross pieces 10 carried by the side guards 1.1. While these parallel tracks or Ways are shovvn as Wide enough for but two carriers lying side by side, I wish it understood that this arrangement may be changed and that the invention is not restricted to the division of the conveyor into two such tracks only. 1

heme carrier is first discharged into the trough like conveyor guideway having the belt 6" as its floor it lands near the partition 9 due to the arrangement of the delivery terminals 4 and 5 closely adjacent to such partition. The carriers thus delivered tend to roll down toward the outer edge of the belt and to conie to rest against the correspoiltling guard 11. It a carrier is already resting against the guard in the position indicated at 1:2, the newly arriving carrier will obviously be prevented. from moving luterally out to the position 12 and will continue on substantially in the position indicated at 13.

Deflectors 114i and 15 of different lengths extend obliquely across the belt at spaced points longitudinally oi? the latter, the

o1 n pl oye d sl'iottcr ot these deflectors being that which the carriers first approach. The upper run 6 of the belt caused to assume a shape such as indicated in Fig. 1 in the neighborhood of the deflectors by means of rails 16 which at this part of the guide'ivay take the place oi; the board 7.

These rails 16 so shape the upper surface cause a carrier positioned lit 1* to roll toward the clear the end of: the

stood that similar hoppers will be applied to the other side of the conveyor although not necessarily directly opposite to the hoppers herein illustrated. It is also con templated as above suggested that the conveyor may be divided into more than two channels by means of additional partitions 9 and it is further COlltQll'lPlttlOCl that, if desired, the delivery terminals 4 and 5 may be arranged to deliver their carriers directly onto that portion of the belt which is provided with the rails 16.

A shown in Fig. 3, the selectors 18 are disposed above the lower. run 6 of the conveyor belt, so that carriers of one class emerging laterally from the separators tall onto the belt 6 and are carried thereby to a suitable point of use, or delivery to other conveyor means.

Carriers passing straight on through the selector 18 ultimately arrive at the distributing terminal 22 where they may be de livered' in either of a plurality of desired directions. For descriptive purposes I have shown a belt l0 and a pocket 4 .1 for the reception of carriers.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the distributing terminal 22 is shown in detail to larger scale. This terminal comprises a carrier deflector 4:2 pivoted on a pin 48 and projecting through a narrow slot in the wall of the distributing terminal. This deflector has a shoulder at let. adapted to engage the inside of the dis tributor terminal wall when the deflector is in operative position and when thus dis posed arriving carriers will be deflected indicated in dotted lines at as through a lateral outlet in the wall of the distributing terminal, such carriers falling onto the belt 10.

The deflector 42 has an elongate slot 45 taking over its pivot pin l3 thus permitting it to be lifted until its shoulder is clear of the wall of the distributing terminal at the point 46. The deflector may then be pulled out of the path of carriers moving the distributor terminal and are received in the laterally open pocket 41 at the lower end of such terminal. From this pocket the carriers may be removed by the open ator as required. Manifestly the pocket ll may be replaced by a delivery terminal ol' any desired form for discharging carriers onto a belt or other suitable type of conveyor.

Normally the deflector h is in the inoperative position but it the operator is unable to remove the carriers from the pocket ll as fast as they are received she may set one or more of the deflectors l! to switch arriving carriers onto the belt ll) by means of which they are (lelivered to other attendants provided to care for surplus carriers.

Assuming that carriers of two distinct classes, for example carriers having tlat heads and carriers having recessed heads are delivered by all or any of the terminals 5, such carriers, whether of one or both classes will move along; upon the belt and eventually will be diverted into one or an other of the hoppers 17. The carriers of one class, for example those having recessed heads, are separated from the others in passing through the sorting devices 18 and all such carriers, being delivered onto the belt 6, may be conveyed at a common point, for example a charge authorizers station. The carriers of the other class pass on down through the respective tubes 21. to the distributing terminals 22 where operators may be stationed to perform the desired transactions. It at any time an operator is temporarily absent or unable to care for all arriving, carriers the delleelor switch 42 may be set to divert carriers onto the belt +1.0, by means of which such rarriers may be transferred to another operators station.

Thus with a relatively small number cl separators, carriers l'rom a large number el' delivery terminals may be :-:cp:i1'a(cd into classes, carriers oil one class lm nn' distributed to a plurality of operators" hlllll ll while c riers of another class are all ransferred to a suitable point of discharge meie or less remote from the points of discharge of carriers of the first class.

\Vhile l have herein shown and described specific form or embodiment of my invention for illustrative purposes and have discussed and disclosed in detail the ("onstruction and arrangemmit iiuidentul to mu application thereof, it is to be uudcrshmd that the invention is limited neither to the precise details or relative arrangements of parts nor to the specific embodiments herein shown, but that extensive deviations from the illustrated forms of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit; thereof.

I claim:

Ice

ll l

lilo

ha ing spaced side walls and compris,

illg a flamughernear as iongiuuuiai center lliie thaii at itslttteral etlgesi l. A (:otivcym" system comprising :1 metlhgbelt, fixed means exteiltirig ltlngittitllnally of the belt for raising a portion ale-a of above the level of the edge of the belt, andv guard meanse x tendlhg along tile edge of the belt.

l. A conveyor system comprising a guideway having spaced side walls and a belt conveyor as its floor and a rail disposed beneath said belt conveyor, the rail being s aced from the edge of the conveyor and lifting the latter to form a longitudinal ridge in the upper surface of the same.

5. A conveyor system comprising a guideway having spaced side walls and a belt conveyor as its floor, and an upwardly convex rail extending longitudinally of the belt and beneath the same to form a ridge in the upper surface of the floor of the guideway.

6. A conveyorsystem comprising a guideway having spaced side walls and a belt conveyor as its floor, means dividing said guideway into a plurality of parallel channels, and means forming a longitudinal ridge in the upper surface of the belt substan tially midway of the Width of each channel.

7. A conveyor system comprising a single guideway for articles to be transported, fixed means for deflecting articles from the guideway, means for moving certain articles along the guideway and past the deflecting means, and means disposed in the neighborhood of the deflecting means defining a path such that said articles pass the deflecting means without operatively engaging the latter.

8. A conveyor system comprising a guide way for articles to be transported, a deflector extending transversely of and part way across said guideway, means for moving articles along said guideway, and means disposed in the neighborhood of said doflector defining independent paths for different articles moving along the guideway, such paths being so arranged that certain articles are brought into engagement with said deflector while other articles are moved past the deflector without engaging the latter. a

A conveyor system comprising a single guideway for articles to be transported, a plurality of fixed deflecting devices spaced along t1, guideway, means for moving ar opening adjacent to each deflector. and

meansextending longitudinally onthe belt;

conveyor in the neighborhood of said defle'ctors causing articlesmoving along upon the belt to divide into independent streams, the articles moving in the respective streams engaging difl'erent deflectors and being diverted thereby through the corresponding openings in the side wall.

11. A conveyor system comprising a guideway, fixed deflector means for diverting and discharging articles laterally from one side of the guideway at spaced points along the latter, means for receiving such. deflected articles, for sorting them into classes, and for delivering the articles of different classes respectively to different points.

12. A conveyor system comprising a belt conveyor havmg upper and lower runs, means for delivering articles to one run of said conveyor to be moved thereby in one direction, means disposed at spaced points longitudinally of said first run of the conveyor for discharging articles therefrom, and means for dividing the articles so discharged at each of said points and for delivering certain of said articles to the other run of the conveyor.

13. A conveyor system comprising an endless belt conveyor having upper and lower runs upon one run of which articles of distinct classes are delivered, means for discharging articles of a plurality of classes laterally from that run of the conveyor to which they are first delivered as aforesaid, and means for sorting said articles discharged from the conveyor into their respective classes and for delivering one of said classes to the other run of the conveyor.

14;. A conveyor system comprising an endless belt conveyor having upper andlower runs upon one run of which articles of two distinct classes are delivered means for dischargingarticles of both classes at spaced points along the length of the conveyor and means for separating the carriers discharged at each of said points into their respectiv classes and for delivering all articles or one class onto the other run of the conveyor and for delivering articles oi? the other clam at separate points corresponding to their points of discharge from the first named run of the conveyor.

15. A conveyor system comprisin a guideway for articles of a plurality of classes, means for discharging articles of both classes from the guideway and for segregatingthem according to classes, means for receiving carriers of one class, a plurality of receivers for carriers of another class,

and means for delivering carriers of the latter class to either of said receivers at will.

16. A conveyor system comprising a belt conveyor having an upper and a lower run, means for delivering carriers comprising two general classes onto'the upperrun of the belt, means for discharging groups of said neaacov carriers laterally from the belt at difiercnt points, means for separating the carriers after discharge into said two classes and for delivering all carriers of one class to the lower run of the conveyor belt, an independent conduit corresponding to each of said groups for guiding articles of the other class, a second conveyor for receiving articles from each of said conduits. a receiver associated with each of said conduits, and a switch device -for each conduit for optionally delivering articles from any of said conduits to said second conveyor or to the receiver associated with the individual conduit.

Signed by me at Syracuse, New York, this 19th day of February 1925.

JAMES G. MACLAREN. 

